SharedObjectives

by Chandra Ryan

  Dixie’s chest shook in silent laughter at the joke. Dixie was fair and one of the smartest men Ben had ever met, and he respected Dixie immensely for those traits. But Ben loved the man for his sense of humor. No matter what they were dealing with, they could always give each other a hard time without having to worry about either of them becoming offended. “The only picture I’ve got on my nightstand is the one of your sister. She gave it to me the night I converted her.”

  Ben snorted. “Converted her?”

  “Hell yeah, I made her see god.”

  Ben couldn’t resist the bout of laughter. “You’re lucky I don’t have a sister.”

  “And you’re lucky my mom is beautiful.” Dixie turned to leave but then looked back at Ben. “Seriously. Clean this shit up. I think I just saw that pile of clothes over there move on its own.”

  Dixie had just opened the door when Ben stopped him to ask, “Did you sleep with her?” He didn’t have to say who. They both knew he meant Lisa.

  The other man coughed before closing the door again. “That’s a pretty ballsy question. A disrespectful one as well.”

  Ben couldn’t believe he’d actually asked it out loud. He hadn’t meant to. He’d planned to just let Dixie leave and then try to get some sleep. Still, somehow it’d slipped out. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean any disrespect—”

  “Not to me. It was disrespectful to her.” Dixie took a deep breath and held it for a second before releasing it slowly. Ben had come to recognize the gesture as Dixie trying to regain hold of his temper. “How long ago were you two together?”

  That threw Ben. He’d expected a dressing-down. “Almost two years ago. Give or take a couple months. We were only together for a couple of weeks.” He was so relieved that Dixie hadn’t started yelling at him that Ben found himself willing to spill all the sordid details.

  “I bet she was really pissed to find out you were using her for her government access.”

  Anger rolled through Ben at the mere suggestion. “I didn’t use her. I had no idea who she worked for. How could I have possibly been using her?”

  “Come on. You were already with the Coalition two years ago. She had to be in our database. She was too important to ignore even back then.”

  “I didn’t know,” Ben insisted. Why wouldn’t Dixie believe him? He was telling the truth. And the man had always trusted him before.

  “You expect me to believe you didn’t look her up? You forget that I’ve seen you in action. You won’t even meet a contact without knowing who his great-grandfather slept with.” He winked at Ben conspiratorially. “You can’t expect me to believe you’d spend more than a night with a woman without checking her alliances out, do you?”

  “I trusted her. I liked her. Hell, I thought I lo—” Realizing what he was about to say, he stopped suddenly. He couldn’t have loved her. She’d lied to him. Their whole relationship had been a sham.

  “Damn straight you did. Apparently she trusted you more, though.” Dixie slipped into the dressing-down that Ben had been expecting. “She didn’t tell you she worked for the government at first but you didn’t tell her you were with the Coalition either. But it never even crossed her mind to question your motives. When I talked to her, you know what she said? That she realized it was an honest omission.” Dixie opened the door again. “No. I didn’t sleep with her. If she wanted me in her bed, though, I sure as hell wouldn’t let some stupid misunderstanding stop me.”

  Ben’s jaw dropped as he watched Dixie leave. He never enjoyed being lectured by Dixie but it’d actually been a mild reprimand. He couldn’t blame his bruised ego on it. No, that, he figured, came from the ring of truth in Dixie’s words. He hadn’t told Lisa about his involvement with the Coalition until that last day. Right about the time she’d told him about her job. He could’ve been using her to get information. Had his superiors found out, they might have insisted on it. But she’d never once accused him of using her. He’d been so angry that night he hadn’t even realized that. Hell, he’d been so angry that he never even stopped to consider the possibility that maybe he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion.

  Had he been wrong? Just thinking about it made his head ache. He was too tired and on edge to puzzle it out right now. It would have to wait for tomorrow. The only thing he could accomplish right now was a good night’s sleep.

  He cleared off his bed and lay down. Every time he closed his eyes to fall asleep, though, memories of his time with Lisa haunted him. Things had been good when he’d been with her. His cock hardened just at the memory. Yeah, things had been really good. Her body had been soft and warm under his. And she might have a biting sense of humor, but the sting left her when they’d kiss. She’d open to him. Give him all of herself without any reservation.

  He wrapped a hand around his erection as he remembered how lush her lips were, especially when she’d been sucking on his cock. The woman had been insatiable in the bedroom. It’s what had drawn them together. She wanted to try everything. Wanted to feel everything. And he wanted to feel everything with her.

  He could still remember the silky glide of her hair as he’d bury his fingers in it. She’d moan and take him deeper into her mouth until the head of his cock would brush against the back of her throat.

  His hips rocked at the memory and he tightened his grip on his erection. She would suck, moan and lick him until his head was spinning and his body was tight with need. Then she’d smile up at him and wink. It was a move designed to break his control and he was embarrassed to admit it always worked. He would fuck that lovely mouth of hers until his balls tightened against him and he felt the tingle that swept down his spine just before he came. He would try to pull out but she’d tighten her hold on his ass and moan louder. And as he came down her throat, he would feel her muscles tighten around him and her tongue sweep across his sensitive skin as she swallowed.

  He moaned and his whole body shook as he climaxed with the memory. His breathing was hard and his body covered in a thin mist of sweat. And as endorphins swam though his blood, he nearly smiled. But as the memory faded so did the feeling of contentment. Sure, they’d been drawn together by physical desire. But that wasn’t what’d kept them together. The more he’d gotten to know her, the more he needed to be near her. Until that one fateful day when he’d blown up and thrown it all away. Now that he knew he might have lost her over a misunderstanding, the pain of that day came back in full force to chase away any afterglow that still lingered in his system. He got up to grab a glass of water but froze when shots rang out through the camp. He cursed as he threw on his clothes and then grabbed a weapon. Time to reminisce about the past was officially over.

  When he stepped out into the warm night, he looked around for the attackers but they hadn’t made it to his quarters yet. He started to make his way through the winding pathways that led off the base before he became trapped in the encampment. He might be Coalition but that didn’t make him a fighter, not technically. His specialty fell under support staff and, as such, no one expected or even wanted him to defend the encampment. His orders were pretty simple and straightforward. They had a shielded bunker about two and a half miles away from their base that had been designated as the emergency meeting spot. He needed to get there and make sure the systems were up and running for everyone else.

  The dirt roads of the base soon gave way to thick vegetation and then lush jungle but they’d practiced evacuations enough over the years that he could find his way blindfolded. Which was good since the light of the stars didn’t penetrate the forest canopy. It took about fifteen minutes for him to make his way to the bunker on a sunny day with a compass. He figured he should make it there in twenty given the current circumstances. And those twenty minutes gave him some time to think as he darted around trees and jumped over roots.

  He didn’t believe in coincidences. The raid had to have something to do with Lisa’s rescue. But did she play an active role in it or was she merely a pawn in someone else’s game? Two hours ago
he would’ve argued vehemently that she’d set them up but Dixie’s talk seemed to have taken root and now he wasn’t so sure. He might not be fond of scientists in general, but Lisa seemed like a genuinely good mother. She’d trembled as she held on to that little boy when they’d handed him to her in the chopper. She’d even been nice to Ben after he’d given her the dose of NB-7. That couldn’t have been easy for her. And, even though she’d been exhausted, she wouldn’t give that child up for anything once she had him back in her arms. They were just observations. He couldn’t pretend to be an expert on Dr. Lisa Colt. But they led him to believe she wouldn’t be a part of anything that might hurt her son.

  As soon as he arrived at the designated spot, he squatted down so he could remove the camouflaged covering that hid the access hatch. He pressed his hand to the biometric scanner and relief filled him as he heard the gears in the mechanism move. It was nice when everything went according to plan during a drill but it still wasn’t a guarantee. He always expected there to be some sort of mechanical error during an emergency. Anything could go wrong out here. And it usually did.

  He waited for the lock to release the hatch and then slipped through the narrow opening. He carefully reset the camouflage and the hatch before climbing down the steep staircase. The underground bunker was large enough that it felt more like an office building than a tomb. Still, thinking about all the tons of soil resting above his head made him a little uneasy.

  He took a deep breath and then released it slowly before he started walking down the long corridor. He flipped switches as he went to turn on the lights and the environmental systems to the different segments of the walkway. The passage branched ahead of him. Left would take him to the living quarters but he needed to go right. That corridor led to the operational hub for the hideout. From there he could access the backup systems and wipe the main networks clean. If the military had come to them looking for sensitive information about the Coalition, they were going to be disappointed.

  By the time he’d made sure all the data swaps were complete other people were starting to filter into the bunker. He could hear their heavy footsteps in the passageways. He kept his firearm aimed in front of him and cocked as he walked out of the room. Odds were they were other Coalition members who’d evacuated the base but he wasn’t in the mood to play the odds tonight.

  “At ease.” Commander Wallace stood in the corridor on the other side of the door. “The bunker is still secure.”

  Ben let out a weary breath before he lowered the weapon. “Good to see a familiar face, sir,” he said as he looked around. “Is Dixie here yet?”

  “He went after the scientist and the kid.” Wallace looked down at the antiquated timepiece he wore on his wrist. Ben had never seen another like it. And its rarity was most likely why it was Wallace’s most cherished possession. The running joke was that you couldn’t meet the commander without meeting his watch. “He should be here soon, though.”

  Ben had to clench his teeth to keep from mumbling a string of obscenities. Of course Dixie had gone for Lisa. He got to be Lisa’s hero for the second time in less than twelve hours. If she didn’t want to sleep with him before, she probably did now.

  And it wasn’t any of Ben’s business. He knew that on an intellectual level. His gut had no desire to be reasonable, though. The woman had only been back in his life for a couple of hours and she was already driving him crazy. He didn’t want her to like Dixie more than him. Which made absolutely no sense because he didn’t really want her to like him at all. Or, at least, he didn’t think he did.

  The hatch opened and he looked over just in time to see Lisa climb down the stairs. Immediately the ball of tension in the pit of his stomach loosened just a bit. He might be confused as hell where she was concerned and irritated that Dixie had been the one to go after her, but he was relieved that someone had. Dixie came down the stairs next, holding the small child in his arms. Lisa’s attention was so focused on the other man that she didn’t even seem to notice Ben staring at her.

  As soon as Dixie made it down the stairs, Lisa took the boy from him and gave the child a sprinkling of kisses. Ben’s chest hurt while watching her. She must have gotten pregnant just shortly after they’d broken it off. Just after he’d chased her away, he corrected.

  Damn it! Dixie had gotten to him.

  “Ben?” Her voice pulled him out of the thought.

  “Lisa.” His had to clear his throat before he could talk to her. “I’m glad you made it to the bunker.”

  Her brow scrunched as she studied him. “You are?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed heavily. He thought about apologizing for being such an ass to her but with Dixie staring at him, it just didn’t seem like a good idea. “Why don’t I show you to the living area? It’s not exactly swanky, but we do have most of the comforts of home.” Ben looked up at Dixie in time to see the man glance between Lisa and Ben before quirking an eyebrow at him in question. “I’ve switched over operations and I’ve done a remote cleanse of the files on the base. I’d be happy to meet with you in the control room as soon as I’ve gotten her settled.”

  “Fine by me if it’s okay with her.” Dixie looked down at Lisa in question.

  “Sure. As long as there’s a bed, Nate and I should be good.”

  Nate snuggled into Lisa’s arms and snored softly as Ben guided them through the maze of hallways. He pointed out the mess hall and the break room on the way to the dorms. He’d probably have to bribe someone in order to get her a private room but he figured that was the least he could do. She’d had a pretty rough night and he hadn’t done anything to make it better up to now. “Most of the soldiers stay in group dormitories but, for Nate’s sake, I think we should be able to get you a private room.”

  She stopped suddenly in the hall. “I don’t want to kick someone out of their room, though.”

  He laughed for a second but then froze as he saw the sincerity on her face. Her concern for another’s comfort appeared honest. “Don’t worry. No one’s going to be upset about it.” If it came down to it, he could probably give her his room. He didn’t mind sleeping with a bunch of soldiers. Before joining the Coalition, they’d been forced to share just about everything. The experience had left an ironclad bond. They were his brothers.

  “I don’t want this to sound as if I’m complaining or anything, but why are you suddenly being so nice to me?” She looked over his shoulder as she spoke as if she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Not knowing is kind of making me nervous.”

  He should apologize to her now. They were alone. Dixie would never know. But the words left a sour taste in his mouth. The idea of being wrong where Lisa was concerned was too new for him to actually give it voice. “We’re going to be working together,” he said with a shrug. “I figured we’d benefit by treating this as a new start.”

  She nodded. “Thank you. A new start would be nice. I really want us to find a way to get along.”

  Don’t sleep with Dixie. He clenched his jaw to keep the words silent. When he trusted himself enough to speak, he said, “Donell handles the room assignments. Let’s go see what we can do about getting you and Nate a bed.”

  “Wait. Before we do that…” She stopped and turned around to see if anyone was following them. All the Coalition would be in the mess hall waiting for a debriefing so he didn’t even have to look to know they were definitely alone at the moment. She took a deep breath. “I’m certifiable for doing this,” she muttered under her breath. “Okay, here goes. There’s something I have to tell you. I don’t lie and I don’t keep secrets. That’s just not who I am.”

  “Okay.” He had no idea why she was freaking out about a room assignment.

  “And I would’ve told you if I knew how to get a hold of you or if I thought you would’ve believed me.”

  She was stalling. Even he could see that. He’d begun to suspect that whatever she needed to tell him had nothing to do with her sleeping arrangements.

  “But now th
at we’re kind of starting over. We are kind of starting over again, aren’t we?” She waited for his nod before continuing. “Okay. Good. So now that we’re starting over, I really want to get off on the right foot.”

  “Now you’re making me nervous, Lisa.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s not my intent.”

  “Then just tell me whatever it is you need to tell me.”

  “Okay.” She took another deep breath. “Nate is yours. You’re his father.”

  He glanced down at the bundle in her arms and then back up to her. Suddenly he couldn’t remember how to breathe. It’d been so simple a second ago. But if he didn’t remember soon, he would be in danger of passing out. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?” He braced himself against the wall.

  “Nate is your son.”

  “My son?” The words sounded foreign coming from him. “I’m Nate’s father.” It couldn’t be true.

  “He’s eleven months old.”

  Ben quickly added the months in his head. Nate was his. His first instinct was to be angry with her for keeping his child from him. But her words were playing through his head like a broken data strip. She couldn’t find him even if she wanted. And, really, why would she have wanted to? He’d told her in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want anything to do with her. That he never wanted to see her ever again. He’d called her unthinkable names. Accused her of unthinkable acts.

  “I can test him if you like.” She appeared fragile as she stared up at him. “I understand if you don’t want to take my word for it. Not that I expect support or anything,” she added hastily. She waited for a beat and then laughed nervously into the silence. “Could you imagine the look on the judge’s face if I did take you to court?” As the words left her mouth, she paled. “Not that I would. I wouldn’t do that. Could you please just say something? Even yelling and calling me names would be better than this.”